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Spontonality 2018

Saturday 20 October at AMATA,
Falmouth University’s Penryn Campus

All welcome

10am – 12.30pm workshop

2.00pm – 4.30pm performance

Free improvisation workshop and participatory performance

Improvisation is the heart beat of innovation – a life skill that transfers and translates to all creativity. Tim West

The music improvisation extravaganza, Spontonality, returns to Cornwall following the great sounds and success of previous visits. This year the musicians are collaborating with Falmouth University, and they will be based at AMATA, Penryn Campus, Falmouth University.

Three virtuoso players from different traditions will come together to perform music improvisation throughout the week (15 – 20 October). This year, pianist and instigator Tim West will be in collaboration with saxophonist Tony Woods and cellist Zoë Martlew.

In addition to playing with dedicated student groups, and anyone passing by during their daily jam sessions at Falmouth University this year, Spontonality will make time to return to Park View day centre for adults with learning disabilities in Helston and spend another day with the budding music students at Helston Community College.

The general public are invited to come along to a free, extraordinarily playful event on Saturday 20 October at  AMATA; with a combination of morning workshop and afternoon performance on offer. Participation is encouraged and always optional… but hard to resist!

Visit AMATA’s website for more information about Spontonality schedule through the week at Falmouth University.
To book a free place for the workshop and/or performance on Saturday 20 October visit amata.org.uk or contact AMATA box office on 01326 259349

Workshop places and tickets are free, but booking is required

Academy of Music and Theatre Arts (AMATA) Falmouth University, Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9LX
Tel: 01326 259349
www.amata.org.uk

Spontonality is supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

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Tim West

Alongside composition and performing he has developed the science of music, leading to a significant advance in its understanding.

As members of the National Youth Orchestra he and Matthew Barley first met. Then a bassoonist, he continued this focus through his time at Cambridge University playing with Nigel Kennedy and Jerzy Maksymiuk amongst others. As a conductor he worked with Emma Johnson, Tom Morris and Ed Shearmur.

Since his time at Cambridge Tim’s musical interests have been predominately in rock, jazz and experimental music – though today he still holds two long term posts as church organist.

For several decades he has played keyboards in the band Akasha: working with Maxi Jazz, Jerry Dammers, Sarah Cracknell, Damon Brown, John Bentley, John Eacott, Colin Edwin, Dave Ruffy, Andy Gangadeen.

He also plays keys in a new project with Rat Scabies and another with Jane Horrocks.

Tim West has gigged extensively over the years with a variety of artists including Johnny Borrell, John Fiddler’s Medicine Head, Tim Whitehead, Emily Saunders, Guy Barker, Ray Majors, Mitch Benn and Steve Hyams – as guitarist, keyboardist and saxophonist. Other sessions cover the ground from rock legends UFO to Leonard Bernstein.

For many years Tim ran the 20 strong music department at Richmond Community College. Here, a Eureka moment fused his Cambridge Maths degree and experience in teaching/playing music into a dramatic discovery which has tremendous repercussions – dramatically simplifying the learning process of musical theory and leading to many new possibilities.

Throughout, improvisation has been a core concern. Tim West has an almost evangelical zeal for encouraging its practice on a wide scale.

Tony Woods

A graduate of Keele University, Leeds College of Music and The Guildhall School of Music, Tony received the soloist’s prize at the Dunkirk International Jazz Festival.

In the mid 90s, Tony Woods Project was formed. It has recorded three highly acclaimed albums of original, folk inspired compositions: High Seas (1997), Lowlands (2004), and Wind Shadows (2009). The band has attracted airplay on BBC Radio 3, Jazz FM, UK Jazz Radio, has toured the UK extensively and performed at festivals across the country including Manchester, London, Swanage, Ealing, Ascot and Teignmouth.

To explore the possibilities of improvising on English classical music Tony formed the Avalon Trio with Pete Churchill and the debut album Forlana (BBC Music review here) was released in 2011, resulting in interviews on BBC Radio 3 and Jazz FM. Tony has also performed at the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room, Pizza Express Jazz Club and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.

Tony has worked as a session musician in many of London’s studios including Lansdown Studios, Angel Studio, Abbey Road and Maida Vale Studios. He has frequently performed with Michael Garrick, both live and on disc, in large and small ensembles, often with his wife, singer Nette Robinson.

In 2010 Nette’s Little Big Band released its debut CD The Little Big Band Plays and in 2012 Michael Garrick’s Lyric Ensemble, which features Nette and Tony, released Home Thoughts – Michael Garrick’s final album.

2012 also saw the release of Seventh Daze, the debut album from Kwartet -Tony’s collaboration with long time musical associate Tim Whitehead.

Zoë Martlew

Cellist, performer, composer, media commentator and educator, the increasingly un-categorisable Zoë Martlew performs and records around the world as soloist and with some of the world’s most renowned contemporary music ensembles, improvisation, film, electronica, multi-media, pop and rock artists, dance and theatre companies including Ensemble Modern, London Sinfonietta,  BCMG, National Theatre, Christian Marclay, Ballet Boyz, Royal Ballet, Mira Calix, BFI, Phoenix Dance Company, Radiohead, Plaid, Incognito, Antonia Franceschi, Alexander Whitley, working with many, many composers including Oliver Knussen, Sir George Benjamin, Brian Ferneyhough, Helmut Lachenman, Beat Furrer, Pierre Boulez, Peter Eötvös, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Thomas Adés.

Her one woman show Revue Z has recently played at festivals in Aldeburgh, Plush, Denmark, Iceland, Spain and Wigmore Hall in London where she gave a recital of music for cello and electronics earlier this year in collaboration with Young Producers scheme. The premiere of her commission for BCMG “Broad Street Burlesque” was performed recorded for BBC Radio 3 last year as part of 25th anniversary concert directed by Thomas Adés and her commission for CoMA ”Slap On” has had multiple performances since it’s 2016 summer inauguration, going to Spain later this year performed by Hong Kong New Music Ensemble. Schott publish her music.

Zoë was a judge on BBC TV’s Maestro and Young Musician of the Year; commentator for BBC Proms, appeared on Newsnight Review, is regular guest BBC Radio 3, has contributed articles for publications including the Guardian, Evening Standard, Classical Music Magazine, The Strad and was on the UK panel for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest.

She is much in demand for educational activities including Artistic Director of the Saigon Chamber Music Festival in Vietnam, tutor for the National Youth Orchestra GB, Harstad Strings in arctic Norway, Aldeburgh Music, Pro Corda, is a regular jury member for international competitions including Royal Philharmonic Society awards and Young Musician of the Gulf in Bahrain.

Recent/upcoming projects include recording/live electronics collaborations with sound designer Cato Langnes at NOTAM in Oslo, solo improvisation/electronics at IRCAM for dance theatre production by choreographer Richard Siegal at Ruhrtriennale Festival in Germany, concerts in Tokyo with Steve Reich and Colin Currie Group, performance of cello, piano and electronics piece Kali & Gilikrist by James Clapperton at Sound Scotland Festival, public presentation/analysis of Thomas Adés In Seven Days as part of London Sinfonietta concert at Royal Festival Hall, recital at Festival Verano, Oviedo.

She studied at the Royal College of Music, Clare College, Cambridge, the Royal Academy of Music and the Chopin Academy in Warsaw.

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